Touro vs. OSU (OOS)

[Simsimma1!]

I was fortunate enough to have been accepted to Touro and Ohio State Dental School. I will be taking out federal loans for the entire cost and did not apply to HPSP. I am very interested in specializing, so Touro being such a new program without residencies does not align with my goals. I understand that whether one ends up specializing or not depends on the individual's initiative/drive and not the institution, but I wonder if this advice is given by those who just might not realize how much more difficult it is to specialize at schools that are known to prepare GDs. For example, programs that specialize many students may allot time for students to do externships or study for residency entrance exams. Just being in an environment with others with goals similar to yours seems like too significant of an advantage to pass up, but that is why I am here. I also have heard that Touro lacking residencies has its advantages in that specialists commuting from NYC work with dental students on difficult dental cases, but this does not seem as stable when it comes to building relationships and seeking opportunities as a place like Ohio State which has residencies. I would also like to know more about Ohio State's program as I have found little information online. Any advice is appreciated and would especially love to hear from students/graduates from either school. Also, if anyone knows Touro's recent specialization rates/matches or Ohio States stats, that would be much appreciated.


School 1: Touro

Pros:

• I live an 18-minute drive away and will have financial and emotional support from family nearby.
• COA comes out to ~$360,000 after subtracting rent cost which Touro estimates ~$23,000/year.
• Letter grade system. Does this make it harder to specialize? I have heard that a strong GPA can help if your residency entrance exam score is subpar but a graded system itself is conducive to competition which makes it harder to have a higher GPA compared to a P/F, more-collaborative environment.
• I am familiar with and happy to be in the Westchester area regarding weather and lifestyle.
• The clinics and facilities are new and very state of the art.
• Focuses on digital dentistry, but I'm unsure how relevant that is when it comes to preparing to specialize.

Cons:

• Lack of reputation may make it difficult when specializing as well as other growing pains being a new school.
• Lack of patients so clinical preparation may be subpar. I hear that students need to find their own patients or share with other students.

School 2: Ohio State (OOS)

Pros:

• COA comes out to $363,000. Not necessarily a pro but still on the cheaper side.
• Letter grade system.
• Has many specialty residencies, so there are more opportunities for externships and building relationships with faculty for LORs.
• Large school network.

Cons:

• Other than visiting the Columbus area a few times, I am not too familiar with the area. However, this is not such a con for me as I grew up in NYC and have a higher tolerance for more dubious neighborhoods.

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[lcootl51]

Hey, I'm going to be a dental student next fall too so I can't recommend which school is better for you. But if I were in your shoe, I would personally go to OSU since Touro is still considered a new school and the COA is similar.

If you want to learn more about Columbus/Ohio in general, feel free to message me. I go to OSU for undergrad.

EDIT: oh yeah, also, I worked at the osu college of dentistry for a bit before. It seemed like the majority of the specialty residents were from OSU so that can be something to keep in mind

 

[Judajudo]

The support from family is huge. Think about how nice it would be to come home from a long day at school and not have to think about cooking dinner or cleaning up your apartment. Those things are big time sinks when you are worrying about finals or boards.